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The Spaniard
The Spaniard was the most trusted agent of King Ferdinand of Spain. Unknown by any name other than "The Spaniard", this enigmatic figure was the one agent that Ferdinand had never known to fail. With dashing good looks, the Spaniard combined hard-won experience with the arrogance of a natural leader. After an old castaway was rushed to the royal palace, holding the logbook of the Santiago, which told of explorer Ponce de Leon's fabled discovery of the long-lost Fountain of Youth, King Ferdinand sent the Spaniard to find the Fountain and destroy it. The Spaniard believed that destiny had placed the task of finding the Fountain of Youth in his hands, and that it would lead him to success. And so he led a loyal crew through a perilous adventure to the Fountain. Biography Early life Not much is known about the Spaniard's early life, except that he was most likely born in Spain. At some point in his life, he was employed by the Spanish Royal Court. Over the years, he rose through the ranks, eventually becoming King Ferdinand's right-hand man and a personal advisor.''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' junior novelization, pg. 60 Quest for the Fountain of Youth Discovery of the Santiago's logbook 's royal palace.]] In 1750, off the coast of Spain, some Spanish fishermen discovered the body of an ancient sailor who sailed with Juan Ponce de León, and with it, the ship's log of the Santiago, Ponce de León's ship. As they showed the body and informed King Ferdinand of their discovery, Ferdinand quickly examined the logbook, which the sailor held. The Spaniard stood right behind Ferdinand as he discovered that the Fountain of Youth was real. In the eyes of the Spanish, the Fountain was the abomination of God's laws. Realizing how great damage such discovery could cause, Ferdinand immediately sent the Spaniard on a dangerous quest for the Fountain of Youth.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Voyage to the Fountain .]] The next morning, the Spaniard sailed from Cádiz with three galleons. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Spaniard's fleet encountered the [[HMS Providence|HMS Providence]], a British Royal Navy vessel, whose commander, Captain Hector Barbossa, was also sent to find the Fountain. Though the Spanish heavily outnumbered and outgunned the British, the Spaniard decided they posed not so big a threat to his mission, and his fleet passed them by without opening fire. Anyway, the British crew prepared for the battle, a battle which never began and cost them precious time before Barbossa realized that the Spaniard's crew weren't going to engage them in combat. Obtaining the Chalices Following the directions from Ponce de León's logbook, the Spanish found the island where the Fountain of Youth was located. The Spaniard's men quickly discovered the wreck of Ponce de León's ship, the Santiago, stranded on the edge of the cliff. The Chalices of Cartagena, a key element for the Profane Ritual, were hidden on the ship. The Spanish was able to find the Chalices and quickly retrieved them, leaving the two stones in their chest instead. With the Chalices in possession, the Spanish made camp at the abandoned Fort San Miguel to examine the Chalices. However, the Chalices were soon stolen from them by Hector Barbossa who allied with Jack Sparrow. Though the Spaniard's men quickly caught the thieves, they managed to escape and temporarily dispatched his men the same night. With the Chalices stolen once again, the Spanish had to find the Fountain of Youth. Arriving to the Fountain At the Fountain of Youth, a group of pirates led by Blackbeard, battled against the British crew led by Hector Barbossa. From out of the fog, the Spaniard appeared, backed by soldiers carrying tall banners of the Spanish Monarchy. Heavily outnumbering both groups, the Spanish soldiers surrounded them, and the fighting stopped. The British officer Theodore Groves then attempted to proclaim the Fountain in the name of King George II of Great Britain. But the Spaniard simply took a pistol from one of his men and immediately shot Groves dead. After ordering one of his men to make a note about Groves' bravery, the Spaniard forcefully took the Chalices from Angelica. .]] After proclaiming that only God could give eternal life instead of the Fountain, the Spaniard dropped the Chalices and stomped on them. He then tossed them into a deep pool and ordered his men to destroy the Fountain. His men started to destroy the temple around the Fountain, though two of Blackbeard's zombies, the Quartermaster and Gunner, tried to stop them, killing or wounding several of them in the process. The Spaniard drew his sword and confronted Blackbeard, calling him a fool for seeking what only faith can provide. Blackbeard debunked that statement, saying that in faith there is enough to see but enough to blind. But Barbossa used the moment of Blackbeard's distraction to fatally wound him with his poisoned sword. The Spaniard turned away from the wounded Blackbeard and watched as the Fountain was destroyed and in ruins. After the Spaniard surveyed his work, by doing the cross, the Spanish departed back to their ships.''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' junior novelization, pg. 105 His further fate is unknown. Personality and traits Unknown by any name other than "The Spaniard", this enigmatic figure was the one agent that King Ferdinand had never known to fail. With dashing good looks, the Spaniard combined hard-won experience combined with the arrogance of a natural leader.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, pg.12-13: "The Spanish" The Spaniard was a mysterious man whose skin had been darkened by a lifetime spent sailing the seas. He was very devoted to his beliefs as a Catholic, as shown when he declared that only God alone could grant eternal life, and had shown a high regard for faith. As the most trusted agent of King Ferdinand, the Spaniard had loyalty to his King, which was proven when he accepted to undertake a very dangerous and life-threatening voyage to the Fountain of Youth without question. In fact, The Spaniard retained experience on his eyes.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides script Though he would stop at nothing to finish his task, the Spaniard still retained some sense of gallantry and decency. He gave no mercy to his enemies, aside from Angelica, politely calling her "Señorita" when asking her for the Chalices (though he gave the order to his men to take the Chalices by force when Angelica didn't give them to him), and the crew of the [[HMS Providence|HMS Providence]], as he didn't think destroying the British ship was worth the time to sink during the voyage to the Fountain, causing the Providence crew to lose time. Likewise, after destroying the Fountain of Youth, rather than battling the remaining pirates, the Spaniard and his surviving crew left the place. However, the Spaniard did not hesitate to shoot Theodore Groves for attempting to claim the Fountain in the name of the British King George II. Despite this, he admired Groves' bravery and asked one of his men to make a note of the British officer's noble effort. The most trusted agent of King Ferdinand, the Spaniard has also shown true bravery while in service to King Ferdinand. Although Blackbeard was known to be a pirate all pirates fear, the Spaniard drew his sword at Blackbeard and even called the latter a fool for believing that the Fountain of Youth could grant eternal life, stating that only faith can do that. Equipment and skills The Spaniard dressed himself in a fancy clothes usual for the Spanish noblemen of his time. When on the mission, he was rarely seen without his big, round, dark hat which was decorated with gold ostrich feathers. He always carried a rapier, with a traditionally elegant fleur-patterned cup hilt, which he was very skillful in battle with. He was also an experienced shooter, which he proved when he killed Groves with a single shot. Over the years, his skills became legendary. Behind the scenes *The Spaniard was played by Óscar Jaenada in On Stranger Tides. The character's real name is never actually mentioned in the film and in both the film and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, he is only referred with the nickname of "The Spaniard". *Jaenada's casting was partly because his work in the film ''The Loosers'' and due Penélope Cruz' recommendation.Óscar Jaenada, a punto de ser un ‘pirata del Caribe’ at elPeriódico *According to Jaenada, he imagined the character of The Spaniard as "a character with a sense of humor and politically incorrect, who speaks more with the look". *Terry Rossio's original script for Dead Men Tell No Tales featured Marquis Ramon, the right-hand man and the lover of Queen Inez of Spain.Pirates of the Caribbean DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES Screenplay by Terry Rossio Since several main and supporting characters from On Stranger Tides also appeared in Rossio's script, it's possible Marquis Ramon and The Spaniard were meant to be the same character. *In the non-canonical LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game, the Spaniard wears a featherless tricorn hat, while in the movie, he wears a round hat with a yellow feather. Also, in the game, he found the Fountain of Youth by using the map which King Ferdinand took from Ponce de León's log, because the logbook was stolen by Angelica. Also, he battles against Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa at Fort San Miguel and uses a pig to destroy the Fountain. Appearances *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' *''LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' (mobile game) Sources *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization)'' Notes and references de:Der Spanier it:Lo Spagnolo ru:Неизвестный испанец Category:Males Category:Spaniards Category:Swordsmen Category:Spanish Royal Navy officers Category:Marksmen Category:Spaniard's crew